Will Blackmon re-signs with Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Will Blackmon (24) against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Jacksonville Jaguars 2013 cornerback trio of rookie Dwayne Gratz, former Houston Texans depth guy Alan Ball, and Will Blackmon was one of the league’s most underrated groups, and they all did a very good job under first-year head coach Gus Bradley, who is something of a magician with corners. Gratz’s return from injury and rise caused Blackmon to be demoted, but he still finished with ten passes defended last year and is a solid starting corner at the of 29. Though not quite as good as Ball or Gratz, Blackmon is a nice veteran starter on the team, and he’s clearly somebody the Jags wanted to bring back.
FOX Sports’s Mike Garafolo reports that Blackmon has re-signed with the Jaguars on a two-year deal, and I’m sure the financial terms are team-friendly. Garafolo tweets that Blackmon had to come back from two ACL tears to continue his career, and it’s always heart-warming to see someone overcome that kind of adversity a la Thomas Davis. Blackmon isn’t a national story like Davis, but he’s a solid player in his own right and deserves to stick around.
The Jaguars also hosted former Seattle Seahawks nickel corner Walter Thurmond on a visit, and it was actually initially reported that the team had signed him. This led me to believe that Blackmon’s time would be up in Jacksonville despite friendly rhetoric in past weeks, but that isn’t the case as Thurmond is merely visiting. It’s possible that the Jaguars could still sign Thurmond and reunite him with Bradley, but I don’t think it’s likely, especially given Thurmond’s likely asking price. But that’s still something to watch for in the coming days.